Influential factors and barriers change along the invasion continuum of an alien plant

MONTERO-CASTAÑO, A.; AIZEN, M.A.; GONZÁLEZ-MORENO, P.; CAVALLERO, L.; VILÁ, M.; MORALES, C.L.

Biological Invasions

Institute for Ionics

Año: 2024 vol. 25 p. 2977 - 2991

Upon arrival to a new area, alien specieshave to overcome a series of biotic and abioticbarriers to survive, reproduce, and spread and thus,succeed along the invasion continuum. Failing tounderstand the role of the different sets of barriersand factors operating across the stages of the invasioncontinuum limit our ability to predict invasiondynamics, leading to misinformed management.Here, we explore how the European plant Cytisus scopariusovercomes the survival and reproductive barriersto establish along the roadsides of Nahuel HuapiNational Park (Argentina). We evaluate the direct andindirect influence of climatic and landscape factors,species traits and their interaction with patch cover,plant height, and pollinator visitation rates as proxiesof population persistence, plant growth, and reproduction,respectively. Cytisus scoparius cover waspositively associated with the length of water shoresand urban cover, factors that may relate to the arrivalof propagules, new introduction events, and high levelsof disturbance. Plant height was positively associatedwith annual precipitation and mean temperature.Visitation rates positively related to shrubland coverand to a lesser extent to slope, two factors that mayinfluence pollinator availability and long-distancedetectability, respectively. However, factors positivelyaffecting survival had no effect (in the case of height)or negative effect (in the case of cover) on visitation rates, probably due to the saturation of the pollinator pool.